By Heather Anderson
Sent off as the 9-5 market leader Saturday, Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) did not let her backers down, running on late to take the NZ$300,000 2400-metre G1 New Zealand Oaks at Trentham by a half-length over Devise (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), with Savvy Dreams (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) a further 2 1/2 lengths back in third. It was the same training duo of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman that launched Thursday's G1 Bonecrusher New Zealand S. winner Lizzie L'Amour (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). Hoop Matthew Cameron was aboard both times.
“I got a long way back and the speed was genuine before they buttoned it off 1200 metres out, so I decided to get going,” Cameron told www.nzracing.co.nz. “She's a class filly and when she got to the front, she pricked her ears.”
Added co-trainer Andrew Forsman, “She's a beautiful filly and she doesn't need to do any more this preparation. She's only going to get better as an older mare as well.”
Last bar one heading into the first turn as Zigwig (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}) set a testing pace, Bonneval began picking off rivals up the outside at the half-way point. She worked her way up to midfield and avoided Incantesimo (NZ) (Per Incanto) and Rube Bridges (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), who fell 600 metres from home. Meanwhile, Zigwig was still under fire from the stalking Devise, who hit the front inside the final quarter mile, but Bonneval was letting down nicely in the middle of the course and took dead aim. Devise was game, but grudgingly gave way inside the final 100 metres, with Savvy Dreams bursting up the inner to take third. The victory gave Bonneval enough points to be crowned the New Zealand Bloodstock 2016/2017 Filly of the Year with 27.5 points, while Volpe Veloce (Aus) (Foxwedge {Aus}) second with 14 and Devise was third with 13.5.
Off the mark at Hastings in her lone juvenile start last April, Bonneval resurfaced with a fifth-place effort in a Te Rapa handicap going 1400 metres Dec. 10 and she was pulled up in the G2 Eight Carat S. on Boxing Day at Ellerslie. Nigh unstoppable since, the bay was a close third to Nicoletta (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) and Devise in the G3 Desert Gold S. going a mile locally Jan. 28 and rattled off back-to-back group scores in the G2 Sir Tristram Fillies Clasic upped to 10 furlongs at Te Rapa Feb. 11 and in the 2100-metre G3 Lowland S. back at Hastings Mar. 2.
Pedigree Notes…
The fourth top-shelf winner for her sire Makfi (GB), Bonneval is the sixth winner, fourth group winner and first Group 1 heroine from six foals of racing age out of her dam, with a juvenile colt by Redwood (GB) next in line. Imposingly, who is out of a half-sister to New Zealand highweights Champagne (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) and St Reims (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), also has a yearling colt by Camelot (GB) and a weanling filly by Adelaide (Ire).
Saturday, Trentham, New Zealand
NEW ZEALAND OAKS-G1, NZ$300,000 (US$/£/€), WRC, 3-18, 3yo f Open Set, 2400mT, 2:31.99, Dead.
1–&BONNEVAL, 56.5, f, 3, by Makfi (GB)
1st Dam: Imposingly (AUS), by Zabeel
2nd Dam : Quiz Queen, by Defensive Play (USA)
3rd Dam: L'Quiz (USA), by L'Enjoleur (CAN)
(NZ$150,000 Ylg 2015 NZB National Yearling Sale). O-T W
Jarvis, A R Lawrence & J A Rattray; B-City Bloodstock Ltd,
Auckland, NZ; T-M Baker & A Forsman; J-M Cameron;
NZ$175,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-0-1, NZ$301,500. *1/2 to
Full of Spirit (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}), GSW-Aus, G1SP-NZ,
$268,585; Lady Cumquat (Aus) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}),
GSW-NZ, MGSP-Aus, $144,238; and a full to Imposing Lass
(NZ), GSW-Aus, $217,970. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Devise, 56.5, f, 3, Darci Brahma–Doneze Girl, by Volksraad
(GB). O/B-The Oaks Stud, Waikato, NZ; T-S F Ritchie; J-J K
Riddell; NZ$56,000.
3–Savvy Dreams, 56.5, f, 3, Savabeel (AUS)–Elusive Dreams, by
Elusive City (USA). O-Tony Rider, Grant Julian, Kelvyn Marshall,
Roger James Small, Wendy Spurdle & Storming Home
Syndicate; B-T V Rider, Waikato, NZ; T-G Lowry & G Cullen; J-L
G Innes; NZ$28,000.
Margins: 0.5 len, 3.0 len, 3.8 len. Odds: 1.80, 9.40, 7.10.
Also Ran: Nicoletta, Fashionably (AUS), Vencedora, Dame Margo Fonteyn, Korakonui (AUS), Shared Secrets, Date Night, Zigwig, Ave Maria, Dreamcrafter, Imogensmiles, Incantesimo, Rube Bridges.
Click for the Racing Post result, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. NZ Racing Video.
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